At South Austin Cat Hospital, we are equipped to handle a wide array of surgical procedures, including elective procedures,* emergency surgery, soft tissue surgery, orthopedic procedures, and declaw repairs. For advanced or complicated procedures, we partner with a mobile board certified veterinary surgeon to ensure your cat gets the best possible care.

We understand that your cat is a furry member of the family, and it can be scary any time a loved one needs surgery. With this in mind, we take every precaution necessary to minimize the risks of anesthesia. Pre-anesthetic blood work allows us to assess your cat’s internal organ functioning and choose the anesthetic medications that will be safest. Every surgical patient will have an IV catheter placed in order to provide fluid support throughout the procedure. Also, in the rare case of an emergency, the IV catheter provides a route for us to immediately give potentially life-saving medications. Finally, your cat’s vital signs will be monitored by a trained veterinary technician using the most accurate feline anesthetic monitor available. This monitoring includes heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, pulse oximetry, ECG, blood pressure, and capnography.

In order to keep your cat comfortable throughout surgery, external body temperature support with a warm air or water blanket will be used. Pain medications will be administered both before and after surgery. Local anesthetics are also employed during most procedures to minimize pain. Proper pain control has been shown to aid in healing and speed your cat’s recovery! Because cats hide their pain so well, these medications are vital to avoid any unnecessary suffering.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding a surgical procedure, we will be happy to further discuss the procedure with you!

 

*South Austin Cat Hospital does NOT recommend or perform elective onychectomy (“declaw”) surgeries. Please see our Alternatives to Declawing page for more information.